SAC Drops 500-Pound Bombs on Mrauk-U and Ponnagyun — 13 Civilians Injured Including 3 Monks

On April 19, 2026, Myanmar Air Force aircraft dropped 500-pound bombs on Mrauk-U and Ponnagyun townships in Rakhine State, injuring at least 13 civilians including 3 monks, 8 men, and 2 women. Mrauk-U — the ancient Rakhine capital and UNESCO World Heritage candidate — has been under Arakan Army (AA) civil administration since February 2024. Ponnagyun Township lies between Mrauk-U and the besieged state capital Sittwe. The strikes represent continued SAC aerial harassment of AA-controlled Rakhine State, where the junta has lost governance and territorial control but retains air power. The targeting of monks echoes the April 13 monastery bombing in Sagaing Region, and the repeated strikes on AA-held Rakhine indicate the SAC is using airpower as its primary instrument of pressure in territories it can no longer hold on the ground. The strikes injure civilians in a region where the AA maintains civil governance, courts, taxation, and service provision.